Hay-mowing apparatus.



ALPHA B. cute, or WAKARUSA, INDIANA.

HAY-MOWING, APPARATUS.

Application filed February 9, 1917. Serial No. 147,621.

To all whom it may concern."

Be it known that I, ALPHA B. CULP, citizen of the United States, residing at WVakarusa, in county of Elkhart and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful ln'lprovemcnts in Hay-Mowing Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in hay mowing apparatus, and the object is to provide a suitable means for shifting the switch block which is preferably located centrally of the mow and in such a relation to-the tracks as to be shifted into different positions in alinement with diiferent sets of tracks.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction, a combination of parts which will be hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the track and switch, showing the same mounted on the rafters of a barn.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of one of the shifting pulley blocks and associating parts.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing the manner in which the latches are pivoted.

A represents the plates of a barn to which the tracks B are connected, and which all radiate from the center of the barn. Mounted upon the joists 1, 1, are two parallel bars 2, 2. Connecting these bars at the center is a joist 3. Pivotally mounted upon the joists and located between the parallel bars 2, 2, is the switch member C. Carried by the switch member is a track member D which is adapted to be turned in either direction and to have registry with any two of the tracks B.

Arranged at either end of the barn are joists 1, A, which are suitably supported on the plates A. Stop blocks 5, 5, and 6, 6, are rigidly secured between the joists A and end plates A at predetermined points. Shifting blocks or pulley-blocks 7 and 8 are slidably mounted upon the transverse joist 4c.

These pulley-blocks preferably consist of a substantially U-shaped frame 9, received in the open end thereof is a pulley 10. 11, 11, indicate transverse grooves arranged in the rear of the pulley 10 which are received upon the joist A and serve to guide the sliding pulley-block thereupon.

The pulley-blocks 7 and 8 are provided with latches 12-13 horizontally pivoted upon the upper side thereof and capable of vertical movement and adapted to extend transversely of the block. These latches project over the blocks and are of such a length as to engage one ofsaid stop blocks. The latch 12 of the shifting block 7 is adapted to engage the stop block 5 while the latch 13 of the shifting block 8 engages the stop block 6. As disclosed in Fig. 1 these shifting blocks are adapted to receive guide ropes 1A and 15 attached to the outer free end of the switch-block C, hence the simultaneous shifting of the shifting block 7 or 8 in opposite directions toopposite corners of their respective supporting frames will cause the switch block to be shifted to such an angle as to register with any two of the tracks.

As shown in Fig, 1 these guide-ropes 14 and 15 run from' the switch block C to the shifting pulley-blocks 7 and 8, thence to pulleys 16, 16, attached on one of the plates A, thence to a convenient place for manipulation. As shown in Fig. 1 the shifting block 7 is in such a position between the switch member C and pulley 16 as to be naturally held against the stop block 5, while the block 8 is held in its position by the latch 13 engaging the stop block 6-, this being necessary owing to the relative position of the switch member C and pulley 16 and the shifting block 8. As stated the shifting blocks are adapted to be simul taneously shifted in opposite directions, this being accomplished preferably in the followingman er: v

I A rope 17 leading from the center of one side of the barn passes through the pulley 18 secured to the joist A, thence to the rear of the latch 12 and is attached thereto about the center of the horizontal joist in such a manner as to raise the latch. Attached to the front of the latch 12 is another rope 19 which passes through a pulley 20 secured to the end of the joist A, thence to the other end of the barn where it passes through a similar pulley 21, thence to the front end of the latch 13, at a point somewhat above the pivotal point thereof, while still another rope 22 is attached to the rear of the latch 13, leads back to a pulley 23 located opposite the pulley 21 on the joist 4 and thence to the center part of the barn to a convenient place of manipulation. With the parts in position as shown in Fig. l, the

shifting block 7 is on that side of the barn nearest to the point of manipulation while the shifting block 8 is on the opposite side; thus, when the rope 22 is pulled the latch 13 is raised and the shifting block 8 is moved to the other side of the barn; simultaneously with this action the latch 12 of the shifting block 7 is raised through the medium of the rope 19 which is attached to the shifting block 8 and shifting block 7 is moved to a point diagonally opposite the shifting block 8, this changing of position causing the switch member C to be shifted into such a position as to register with the other two sets of track B. The same effect is accomplished when rope 17 is actuated.

It will thus be seen that I have provided a simple and effective switch shifting apparatus, which can be manipulated from any convenient point, whereby the carrier may be directed to any point for distributing its load.

I claim:

1. In a mowing apparatus, the combination with tracks, of a switch member located in proximity to and adapted to register with said tracks, shifting pulley-blocks arranged to slide transversely of the tracks at the opposite ends thereof, said pulleyblocks being connected to the switch-member and diagonally opposite to each other when in their operative position, and means for releasing and simultaneously shifting the pulley-blocks in opposite directions to the other side of the track.

2. In a mowing apparatus, the combination with tracks, of a switch member located in proximity to and adapted to register with said tracks, guide bars arranged transversely of the tracks at each end thereof, shifting pulleys slidably mounted upon said guide bars, stop blocks at each end of the guide bars for limiting the movement of the pulley-blocks, said pulley-blocks being connected to the switch-member and diagonally opposite each other when in their operative position, and means for releasing and simultaneously shifting the pulleyblocks in opposite directions.

8. In a mowing apparatus, the combination with tracks, of a switch member located in proximity to and adapted to register with said tracks, guide bars arranged transversely of the tracks at each end thereof, shifting pulley-blocks slidably mounted upon said guide bars, stop-blocks at each end of the guide bars, latches carried by the shifting pulley-blocks and adapted to engage the stop-blocks, said shifting pulleys being connected to the switch member in such a manner as to turn the switch into registry with the tracks when the shifting pulleys are shifted to the opposite side of the track, a means for releasing and simultaneously shifting the pulley-blocks in opposite directions.

4:. In a mowing apparatus, the combination with tracks, of a switch member located in proximity to and adapted to register with said tracks, guide bars arranged transversely of the tracks at each end thereof, shifting pulley-blocks slidably mounted upon said guide bars, stop blocks at each end of the guide bars, latches carried by the shifting pulley-blocks and adapted to engage said stop-blocks, means connecting the latches of the respective blocks whereby the same are released and simultaneously shifted in the opposite direction to the other side of the tracks, said shifting pulleys being connected to the switch-member in such a manner as to turn the switch into registry with the tracks when the shifting pulleys are actuated.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALPHA B. CULP.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

